What is the difference between an acidic, basic and neutral pH?
A solution having a low pH is said to be acidic, what this means is that it has a higher concentration of hydrogen ions than a neutral solution. For example, stomach acid has a pH of around 2.0, this is equal to a concentration of hydrogen ions equal to 1 x 10-2 mol/L. Any solution having a pH less than 7.0 is said to be acidic. A basic solution, such as a household cleaner usually has a pH of around 11. This translates to a concentration of hydrogen ions equal to 1 x 10-11 mol/L. This would be considered a lower concentration of hydrogen ions. Recall from scientific notation that as the exponent becomes a larger negative number, the numerical value of the expression is less. Any solution having a pH greater than 7.0 is said to be basic. A pH of 7.0 means that a solution is neutral, having a medium concentration of hydrogen ions. Solutions such as distilled water have a neutral pH and thus a concentration of 1 x 10-7 mol/L of hydrogen ions in solution. Neutral solutions have pH values
